“The scooter-style bodywork allows room for the battery and
controller, and, even better,
the battery is locked under
the seat.” Because of the swoopy scooter-style bodywork, the Jetson has a modern look to it compared to a lot of other electric
bicycles. In truth, it uses a simple and
proven drive system. The strong cast-alu-minum rear wheel houses a 500-watt,
direct-drive hub motor. This is about as
reliable as electric drive gets. The motor
is direct drive, so technically it can actually recharge the battery on downhills and
while the rider is pedaling. Likewise, the
programming is very simple—no pedal
assist, levels or other settings. You turn it
on with the key and you turn the throttle to
go, and then use the handbrakes to stop;
there are no other settings to worry about.

UNDER THE HOOD

The scooter-style bodywork allows
room for the battery and controller, and,
even better, the battery is locked under the
seat. One of the drawbacks of the proven
direct-drive brushless is a lack of low-rpm
torque. Peak rpm on these motors is often
under 250 watts! The only way to change
the gearing on the motor is to change the
wheel’s size. Fortunately, being a scooter style, the Jetson comes with relatively
small-diameter 18-inch wheels. As a result,
performance is modest but sufficient when
leaving a stop. It helps to give it a push like
a skateboard or pedal like a bicycle as you
leave a stop. Once past the initial takeoff,
the performance is smooth but sporty
enough up to the 20-mph top speed.
Federal law limits electric bicycles to 20
miles an hour, and the Jetson doesn’t
nudge the limit one bit. For a machine that
does not look like a bicycle, staying on the
safe side is smart business.

VOLTS AND BOLTS

When the 48-volt battery is fully charged
after four to five hours, the scooter will
run easily at 20 mph on flat ground. Rider
weight doesn’t seem to matter much.
Before the battery indicator gauge loses
even one indicator line, the top speed
begins to wane. And as the battery level
runs down, the top speed goes from 19 to
18 to 17 and so on and so forth. It stays in
the 18- to 20-mph range for a good while.
We would find it unlikely that anyone will
run the bike completely dead. Once the
Jetson is down to cruising along at about